Posted on 10/27/2021 7:28:54 AM PDT by Rebelbase
You can't just zip right up to another satellite and motor away in minutes. Orbital maneuvers are carried out over hours and days - particularly low powered maneuvers if you're trying not to attract attention or burn a lot of fuel (because you have many munitions to deliver).
In other words, if they tried something like this, we'd see them coming from a long, long ways off. It is an interesting concept, but not terribly practical at the moment.
Consider, we see something cozying up to one of our birds, we'd just maneuver away. If they follow, that's hostile intent. I would contend we should then maneuver and ram the Chinese satellite - sacrifice one to take out their delivery system and save a dozen others. If/when the Chinese protest "Oh, sorry, didn't see you there. You shouldn't have been so close to our bird anyway."
Even better, how about a "honey pot" satellite? We launch what we claim is our next high-zoot surveillance or communications or navigation satellite. The Chinese bus comes along to deploy a mine on it... "Hey wait, it grabbed me! Now it's de-orbiting us!" ;-) "Oh, sorry, we were testing a clean-up satellite. One that'll latch onto dead satellites and de-orbit them. Guess your bird got too close to ours and it activated... We'll work on that..."
creep into the tailpipes of enemy satellites
I wasn’t aware that we put gasoline or diesel-powered satellites in orbit ...
I disagree. The calculations for those kind of orbital adjustments are incredibly precise, and the fuel and amount of burn are calculated to several decimal points. 3.5 kg would easily affect those kind of calculations.
And NASA would have to make those calculation pretty soon after something that size attached itself, because the change in orbital rotation would be noticeable. The attaching object would impart some angular momentum to the satellite, causing an adjustment in the orbit. Again, these things are watched to an incredible degree of accuracy and would be noticeable within a short period of time.
And thanks to things like Tik Tok they know everything about us culturally as well.
the operative word there is noticeable...
This isn’t the 80s where there is some guy in Houston with a slide rule doing fuel burn calculations, who is going to scratch his head and wonder why the satellite didn’t move as expected. The satellites’ software will use thrust as appropriate to move or maintain position, regardless of a small weight change. Will the change in thrust required be calculable? Of course. Will it be noticeable? Only if someone is looking and paying attention.
No, this is the 2020s where a change in the algorithm or expected amounts are automatically highlighted or redlined to the staff. Even in some of the basic stuff I do in DoD a slight change in the normal parameters is always alarmed.
That way there doesn’t have to be someone paying attention, the program pays attention and tells you. You might ignore it the first time, but after 2 or 3 different occurrences, someone starts asking questions.
they have to be watching, ok
i’d have thought there would be some kind of notification of an unexpected change in attitude to get their attention
The tv show “U.F.O” had the aliens attaching a thruster to our spacecraft causing them to to burn up in orbit.
As you point out, building jet engine cores is about basic materials research coupled with manufacturing technology. OTOH, building a descent stage warhead bus that can maneuver inside the atmosphere is something that could probably benefit from a more ‘brute-force’ design approach like the Soviets were famous for.
This Chinese missile is, according to the only source I’ve seen (the Financial Times), launched by a Long March booster, and then orbits as many times as needed, descends into the atmosphere at “hypersonic speeds” and not burn up. Which sounds much like a standard ICBM and warhead. Or something - just not clear what the FT was reporting on. And that is all the Chinese admit to doing the month prior to the launch reported in the FT.
I have yet to see a military oriented blog give the thing any validity.
exactly ;-)
Not gonna be fooled by a banana in the tailpipe.😁
Not to be complacent, but the ChiComms lie about everything. They can’t build Navy ships that are reliable. The uto parts they sell in the USS are crap. I have serious doubts about this.
Adding several pounds to a satellite will change its orbit, center of gravity and ability to manuver. This would have been noticed.
It would manuver more slowly and would be out of balance as well.
Not to be complacent, but the ChiComms lie about everything. They can’t build Navy ships that are reliable. The uto parts they sell in the USS are crap. I have serious doubts about this.
Adding several pounds to a satellite will change its orbit, center of gravity and ability to manuver. This would have been noticed.
bkmk
Hope you are right.
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